tuesday's Races
wednesday's Races
thursday's Races
friday's Races
13:20Supreme Novices' Hurdle
14:00Arkle Chase
14:40Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
15:20Ultima Handicap Chase
16:00Champion Hurdle
16:40TrustATrader Festival Plate Handicap
17:20National Hunt Chase
13:20Turner's Novices' Hurdle
14:00Brown Advisory Novices' Chase
14:40BetMGM Cup Hurdle (Coral Cup)
15:20Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
16:00Champion Chase
16:40Grand Annual Chase
17:20Champion Bumper
Champion Hurdle
16:00 Cheltenham Festival
2026-03-10
Winner: £262,077.52
Runners: 9
Going: Good To Soft
No. of hurdles: 8
Distance:
The Unibet Champion Hurdle, the feature race on day one of the Cheltenham Festival, is the championship contest for 2m hurdlers and has been won by some of the greatest hurdlers of all time, including Night Nurse, Persian War, Sea Pigeon and Istabraq. The Champion Hurdle had been won by the favourite for 5 consecutive years before Golden Ace caused an upset in 2025, winning at 25/1.
NO.DRAW
FORM
FORM
Sort by Saddle Number
HORSE
Sort by Horse Name
Predict the Winner
ODDS
Sort by Best Odds
JOCKEY& TRAINER
Sort by Trainer
AGE
Sort by Horse Age
WGT
Sort by Weight
OR
Sort by Official Rating
RPR
Sort by Racing Post Rating
9(0)
11-112
Lossiemouth
-
J: Paul Townend
T: W P Mullins
7
11-3
159
171
Versatile as regards ground; prolific and highly talented mare whose record of 13-17 features nine Grade 1 wins, including three at this meeting (Triumph and two Mares' Hurdles); 4-4 at this venue overall; failed to justify favouritism in the Irish Champion Hurdle most recently but ran creditably without managing to confirm December placings with Brighterdaysahead; has less to prove than that rival back at Cheltenham and holds a big chance at the weights; wears headgear for the first time.
8(0)
1-2212
Golden Ace
-
J: Lorcan Williams
T: Jeremy Scott
8
11-3
152
165
Record of 3-4 at Cheltenham features two Festival wins, beating Brighterdaysahead in the Grade 2 novice hurdle in 2024 then admittedly fortuitous (left in lead when State Man took a late fall; odds-on Constitution Hill exited earlier) when 25-1 in this race last year; also had fortune on her side in this season's Fighting Fifth as the front two in the market, including The New Lion, failed to complete; ran creditably on Boxing Day when last seen; largely consistent and should go well but may require further luck to retain her crown.
6(0)
310-42
Workahead
-
J: Darragh O'Keeffe
T: Henry De Bromhead
8
11-10
148
153
Lightly raced 8yo; dropped away from the top of the hill in the Supreme on this card 12 months ago, having raced freely and done too much up front; achieved best RPRs when scoring impressively at Leopardstown (strong maiden form) in December 2024 and good second in Grade 3 at Gowran Park (again over 2m; heavy) last time; faces a stiffer assignment and competition for the lead.
7(0)
14-321
Brighterdaysahead
-
J: Jack Kennedy
T: Gordon Elliott
7
11-3
160
173
Has form on most types of ground; hasn't lived up to expectations at this meeting for the last two years, beaten by Golden Ace in the Grade 2 novice hurdle in 2024 and only fourth (weakening when hampered) in this contest in 2025; otherwise a very smart mare and produced one of her best performances in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown (2m, heavy) most recently, reversing December placings with Lossiemouth and registering a fourth Grade 1 success; leading contender, provided she transfers the form to this venue.
3(0)
1-23
Poniros
-
J: Danny Mullins
T: W P Mullins
5
11-10
154
160
Belied his 100-1 odds with a remarkable success in the Triumph at this meeting (2m1f, good to soft) last year on hurdles debut, collaring Lulamba who subsequently reversed placings with him at Punchestown and is a leading contender in today's Arkle; ran below expectations at Royal Ascot but ran promisingly, with a view to this race, in the Irish Champion Hurdle on return from layoff (got detached in the back straight, ending up with plenty to do, then stayed on for third of five); could be open to plenty of further improvement with that outing under his belt and given his very low mileage in this sphere; very interesting back at Cheltenham.
2(0)
11-244
Anzadam
-
J: Mr P W Mullins
T: W P Mullins
6
11-10
157
163
Looked very promising in completing a Grade 3 double in great style upon joining Willie Mullins; has lost his unbeaten record since upped to Grade 1 level, beaten by Golden Ace in the Fighting Fifth then only fourth twice at Leopardstown (headstrong on penultimate start); however, this first taste of the Cheltenham Festival may facilitate a bigger effort, with the possibility of an ideal pace set-up and precise priming for this day.
4(0)
111-F1
The New Lion
-
J: Harry Skelton
T: Dan Skelton
7
11-10
159
163
Bids to emulate Istabraq, Hardy Eustace and Faugheen by winning the Champion Hurdle a year after landing the 2m5f Grade 1 novice hurdle at this meeting; held a 1l lead, still not under maximum pressure, when falling two out in the Fighting Fifth on reappearance; unbeaten otherwise and is better than the bare form he showed in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham (2m1f, soft) last time when the steady pace wasn't conducive to an ideal test; still has plenty of potential in open company and commands respect, especially with a stronger gallop seemingly on the cards.
5(0)
61-611
Tutti Quanti
-
J: Harry Cobden
T: Paul Nicholls
6
11-10
151
159
Never-dangerous sixth in the Supreme on this card 12 months ago but ran well on bare figures despite a big change in tactics (normally leads or races prominently); took his strike-rate to 4-9 with wins in notable handicaps at Newbury (2m, soft/heavy) in November and February, last time defying top weight and proving thoroughly dominant in the race that fellow front-runner Make A Stand won in 1997 before following up in the Champion Hurdle; improving hurdler who is worth a crack at this prize in a reasonably open year and has been duly supplemented at a cost of £18,000
1(0)
-21131
Alexei
-
J: Brendan Powell
T: Joe Tizzard
6
11-10
148
157
Acts on any ground; impressive in major handicap over C&D in November; made harder work of justifying favouritism in the Kingwell (1m7f Grade 2) at Wincanton most recently, wandering under pressure to boot, and this is a stiffer assignment, but he's a broadly progressive contender who is 5-9 over hurdles and may rate higher still; possibilities in a year where some big names have dropped out.
RACING POST TIP
Poniros
A somewhat depleted Champion Hurdle with Sir Gino, Constitution Hill and State Man ruled out in advance due to various woes. However, it's still quite a deep field with some familiar names remaining and some unexposed/progressive types adding interest. The New Lion (second pick) is in a strong position to become the new champion, being unbeaten in completed starts and still promising after just two attempts in open company. However, PONIROS looks a plausible alternative with his own ceiling not yet established. It takes some doing to land the Triumph on a first attempt over hurdles and the selection, who has raced only three times under this code, appears open to any amount of further improvement back at the Cheltenham Festival with the post-layoff DRF run under his belt. Lossiemouth, Brighterdaysahead and last year's (admittedly lucky) winner Golden Ace constitute a strong female hand, preferred in that order.
Cheltenham Free Bets
No offers to show
Cheltenham Festival Tips
2026 Cheltenham Festival tips from Racing Post Experts
CHAMPION HURDLE PREVIOUS WINNERS
| Year | Horse | Previous Form | Age | Price | Trainer | Jockey |
| 2025 | Golden Ace | 11-431 | 7 | 25/1 | Jeremy Scott | Lorcan Williams |
| 2024 | State Man | 21-111 | 7 | 2-5F | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2023 | Constitution Hill | 1-11 | 6 | 4-11F | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2022 | Honeysuckle | 111-11 | 8 | 8-11 | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2021 | Honeysuckle | 111-11 | 7 | 9-4 | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2020 | Epitante | 119-11 | 6 | 2-1F | Nicky Henderson | Barry Geraghty |
| 2019 | Espoir D’Allen | 14-111 | 5 | 16-1 | Gavin Cromwell | Mark Walsh |
| 2018 | Buveur D’Air | 11-111 | 7 | 4-6F | Nicky Henderson | Barry Geraghty |
| 2017 | Buveur D’Air | 31-111 | 6 | 5-1 | Nicky Henderson | Noel Fehily |
| 2016 | Annie Power | 21-F-11 | 8 | 5-2F | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2015 | Faugheen | 111-11 | 7 | 4-5F | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
CHAMPION HURDLE TRENDS AND STATS
Key trends
- Rated within 8lb of RPR top-rated, 8/10
- Won a Grade 1 hurdle, 8/10
- Won last time out, 9/10
- No more than 12 hurdle runs, 8/10
- Aged between six and eight, 9/10
Other factors
- Katchit (2008) broke a longstanding trend when he became the first five-year-old to win since See You Then in 1985 but in 2019 Espoir D’Allen became the second in just over a decade (28 from that age group had failed in the interim).
- Two winners had not run since the turn of the year (both trained by Nicky Henderson).
We have all the best Cheltenham Betting offers ahead of placing your bets on the 2026. Champion Hurdle
WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR - CHAMPION HURDLE 2025
Constitution Hill, Brighterdaysahead and State Man were expected to fight out the finish but it was 25-1 shot Golden Ace who gained a shock win in the Champion Hurdle. Constitution Hill was sent off the 1-2 favourite but fell at the fourth-last, and then State Man looked firmly in command when exiting the race at the last. Golden Ace capitalised for Lorcan Williams and Jeremy Scott, staying on strongly up the hill for the biggest win in her career.